07-02-2025
Several Wisconsin Head Start programs struggling to stay open after Trump's federal freeze
Wisconsin Head Start programs are still struggling to recover from the federal freeze on grants and loans ordered by President Donald Trump on Jan. 28.
Even though the White House clarified that the freeze wouldn't affect Head Start programs and rescinded the order on Jan. 29, several organizations are still unable to access funds due to website glitches and are scrambling to keep their doors open for families who rely on Head Start's free childcare services.
As of Thursday, Wisconsin Head Start Association Executive Director Jennie Mauer said six of the 39 Head Start programs across the state still couldn't access payments. Roughly 3,000 children are enrolled in those six programs, she said.
"Programs are really having to move things around in their budgets, and this is going to get dire very soon," said Mauer.
April Mullins-Datko, the Head Start director for Fond du Lac nonprofit ADVOCAP, said funds for their four locations are still frozen. She hasn't had to shut down services, but said she will have to if she doesn't receive funding by the end of this month.
ADVOCAP's Head Start program serves 202 children from 191 families, Mullins-Datko said, and 93% of the parents who are enrolled are working while their child is in their care.
Mullins-Datko said Head Start programs have received little to no communication about when funds will be available again.
"We're hearing nothing," she said.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin called for the Trump administration to "immediately resolve" Head Start payment issues on Thursday in a letter to Dorothy Fink, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Tala Hooban, the acting director for Head Start.
Baldwin's letter said she spoke to Head Start programs across Wisconsin about the "devastating impact" of the federal funding freeze.
"Head Start is a critical lifeline for families," Baldwin wrote.
At a press conference Thursday at the Madison childcare center the Playing Field, Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, said Wisconsin was already in a childcare crisis long before Trump took aim at federal grants because of underinvestment by the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Parents are already battling yearslong waitlists to get their children into places like the Playing Field, Roys said.
'This is a very scary moment for anyone with young kids,' she said. 'And I think it's really important that people know that.'
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly, who joined Roys at the press conference, said losing even one Head Start program could have a ripple effect on the community.
'Simply put, childcare is a cornerstone of our economy," said Underly. "It is foundational to both stability of our families and the vitality of our workforce."
Though the Department of Public Instruction does not oversee Head Start programs, Underly said the agency has submitted its proposed budget to Gov. Tony Evers and she is hopeful lawmakers will invest in childcare and early learning.
Chelsea Fields, a mother of a 1- and 2-year-old who attend Head Start at the Playing Field, fought tears as she explained how the possibility of losing childcare has been devastating. She is the sole breadwinner in her household.
'I know the workforce needs us," said Fields. "So we're gonna have to compromise somewhere."
Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be emailed at QClark@ Follow her on Twitter at @Quinn_A_Clark. Laura Schulte is a politics reporter for the Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at leschulte@ and on X at @SchulteLaura.
Molly Beck of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Head Start programs still reeling from federal freeze
